Ateneo de Davao to install mini weather station

MANILA, Philippines - After six months of conceptualizing and developing a mini-weather station as part of a weather monitoring and disaster alert system, a team from Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU) is close to completing preparations for the installation of the device in Davao City.

Two members of the ADDU team attended a week-long immersion program with the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) in partnership with Smart Communications, Inc. to learn how to maximize the use and the benefits of a weather station, including calibrating the instrument according to international standards.

Under the tutelage of PAGASA weather specialist II Ferdinand Barcenas, ADDU faculty and team leader Engr. Marloue Pidor and project consultant George Frederick Tujan participated in the calibration of two prototypes of their low-cost automatic weather station.

The automated weather station is part of a project to gather data that may be used in the development of an early warning system for flood-prone areas in Davao City. They have likewise developed a river monitoring station. ADDU has been working closely with various local government units as well as with Smart for this undertaking.

ADDU’s monitoring system is web-based and uses the OpenStreetMap for data visualization.

Pidor credits Smart for this opportunity. “Smart has made a lot of things possible with their wide network. Because of them we are able to work with government agencies.”

The industry-academe partnership between Smart and ADDU has its roots in the Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program (SWEEP) of which the latter is a partner school.

With the support of SMART, a winning search and rescue management system designed by ADDU for the SWEEP Innovation and Excellence Awards has been further refined as a sea and land-based tracking device for Davao City.